Lightning-arrester.



W, E. BT'- LIGHTNING "Q APPLICATION FILED JU.

irai-Jente@ Aug. 70@

2 SHEETS-SHEET l @Homwijo W. E. BUTLER.

LIGHTNING ARRESTER.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 1a, 190s.

93 1,038. mama Aug. 1?, 190g.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W@ h1 man UNITED 'STATES j rATnNrl onirica-.

WILLIAM E. BUTLER, OF DAVID CITY, NEBRASKA.

LIGHTNING-animeren.

No.l genoss.

' nientsiin lightning arresters and it is designed toprovide a lightningarrester of the mercurytype which will reset itself after each lightningdischarg The invention comprises essentially a suitable vessel orcontainerin which is lodged a quantity ofvmercury. Entering tliemercuryis a conductor of suitable material connected i to ground, and alsoin'close relation to the surface of the mercury are other conductorsconnectedrto the line. The conductors out oi. contact with the mercurymay carryat the' ends adjacent to the mercury surfacesuitableiinsulating material which itself may bein contact with themercury, and in such case the insulating material torated so that thereare one or more air gaps between the active end of the line terminalsandthe mercury surface. Provision is made for t-lie use of the inventioneither for the protection of a single line or for more than one line, inwhich case but a single ground isnecessary. V

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the'following detail description taken in connectionwith the acconipanyingdrawings forming a part of this specification, in which drawin s,

'Figure l is -a'longitudinal section partly in elevation of the improvedlightning arrester showing the line connection. is a similar view of aslight-ly modified form. Fig. 3 is a similar view of still another form.F ig. 4 is a likeview of another form. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing'the application i ofthe invention to a single line. Fig. Gis

a view showing the manner of constructing.

the insulating diaphragm @introduced Vbetween theac'tive ends of theterminals of the .line and the mercury surface.

Referring to the drawings and more particularlyto Fig. l, there areshown line wires 1 2, leading by conductors 3 4 to the parts l to :beprotected, which parts however have been omitted from the drawings,andit will be understood that any type of instrumentmaybe used yinconnection with the lightning arrester wherein it is'desirable toprotect the BUTLER,

is suitably pei'- Fig. 2v

Speccation ofL-'tters Patent. Application iea Juiy is, 190s.v ,seriaiN0. 443,853.

Patented Aug. i7, 190e.

strokes or of any high voltage current which would be liable to injurethe instrument. By the term lightning as has been heretofore, and willbe hereinafter used, in this specification, it is to be understood `thatnotonly ihe vnatural electrical discharges usually called lightning, butalso any high voltage current liable to injure the instrument and whichmight not blow fuses when the latter are used, are to be included in thesaine term.

In Fig. l fuses 5 are indicated at each line wire l and 2 and thesefuses are designed to protect instruments where heavy currents areliablerto pass over the line wires l and 2, but where such heavycurrents are not .liable to be encountered but only the high capable ofconducting electric vcurrent but' which at the same time is not affectedby or is inert to mercury. Among the materials which may be used forthis purpose may be mentioned carbon and iron. In the structure shown inFig. l, each rod G has its `free end rounded and` there carries a buttonor diaphragm 7 of insulating material and preferably retractoryinsulatingmaterial, such for instance as mica. I

l Flic mica diaphragm 7 both in the form shown in'F ig. l, and in theother forms may be shaped as shown in Fig. 6, that is it is providedwith a suitable number of perforations 8. The insulating plate, ordiaphragm, oi' disk 7 rests upon the mercury surface, which mercury bodyis indicated at 9 iii the iigures, and is contained in ay suitablevessel l0, which may be made of any vitreous ma- .Y

terial vsuch as glass, or this containing vessel may be made of iron,both of which are unaffected by mercury. Any other suitable materialnot! affected by mercury may be used as the material for the containingvessellO. y

Having one end dipping into the mercury 9 is a rod ll of carbon, oriron, or other Asuitable inaterial,aud this rod is connected llO by aconductor 12 to ground.` Suppose now that a lightningdischarge should bereceived upon veither line 1 or 2. -The air gap be'- tween the end oftherod6 and the surface of the mercur is purposely small so that theimpedance o ered by the instrument to be protected will cause thelighting discharge t'opass from the rod 6 through the small .air gap tothe mercurysurface, and from there it finds an easy path through the rod11 and ground conductor 12. The l:lightning discharge will arc 'acrossthe space between the ends of the rod 6` and the surface of the mercurybody 9, and as soon as the discharge stops then any displacement of themercury will be remedied by the mercury again seeking its normal level.With this structure thereisf'no burning out of the terminals of changein relation of the terminals constitutthe lightning arrester circuit oneach side or either side of the spark gap vand there is no as to presenta large surface adjacent to the mercury surface and thus increase thearea Y of the effective spark gap without increasing the distancebetween the ends of the rods 6 and the surface of the mercury. In boththe structures shown in Figs. 1 and 2, it is possible to use the micadisk without perforation's if it be made small, since on entering the.mercury the latter is depressed adjacent to the mica and the surface istherefore conv caved adjacent tothe end 'f the rod 6. In

Fig. 3 the ends of' the rod 6 are made substantially flat and arebrought to close relation to the surface of the mercurybut out ofcontact therewith, and the mica insulation is omitted. In Fig-4 themercury vessel 10 is entered through the bottom by a conducting block 14carried at one end of a strip 1 5 supported by an insulating block 16,and this stri 15 is connected by a conductor 17 to groundp' A singleline wire 18 is designated and this is connected to a strip 19, alsocarried by the insulating block16, and the strip 19 carries a= block 20having its-free end in closev relation to the surface of the mercury 9within the vessel 10. In Fig. 5 asimilar arrangement is shown, that isan Aarranger'n'ent for a single line wire. In this case the line wire 21terminates in a block 22 having its free end vcovered by a mica or'other insulating plate 23. Extending through the bottom `of the mercuryvessel 10 Arelatively ground. In all these casesv the ground con!nection yis of courseperfect, being made.

through mercuryl and cannot therefore 'corrode or become disconnected,thus endangerf ing the instrument that the lightning arrester 1sdesigned to protect.

In each instance, the carbon or iron conductors used 1n connection withthe ground conductor, are

of ample size as is also the groundconductor to carry olf any chargewhich may be imposed upon the line whether by a lightning stroke or bycrossing a high tension servicev conductor. IVherever there is danger ofthe line conductors 1 and 2 becoming'crossed or charged with heavyelectric currents liable to injure the instruments, then fuses 5 will beincluded in the line conductors on the service side of the conductors 3and 4.

Since the rods 6 may be made of ample area, there is no danger of theiractive ends becoming corroded or burned out by the passage of thelightning stroke, and the mica insulation is also unaffected bytheheat-ll generated by the passage of the current across the air gap.

When the air gap is through 'perforationsin the mica disk or plate thenthe length of the air gap is determined by the thickness of the micaplate, bbut where an unperforated mica button is used at the ends of therods 6, then the air gap will bel exterior to this mica button, and thelength of the vair gap will depend entirely upon the degree of immersionof the mica. button into the mercury surface, the terml immersion beingVused relatively only since the mercuryvsurface will be concaved to agreater or less extent by the contact of thel button '7 therewith.

It is of course within the scope of the invention to divide the mercuryand use two ground connections one for each line.

A proper amoiuit of 'air space above the mercury is provided to takecare of all mercury vapor which may be produced on the passage" of highvolta-ge currents, which vapor will afterward 'condense and fall backinto the liquid mercury.

' What isclaimed is:Y

1. In .a lightning arrester, a .grounded-- 'bodyof mercury, a barecircuit terminal "separated from`the surface of the mercury but withinAstriking distance thereof and l carryino` refractory insulating materialof small area bridging the air gap.

f3. In a lightning arrester, agroun body of mercury, a bare circuitterminal within Astriking distance of the surface of the mercury and anvinsulator of refractory ioo 'body of mercury,

.the surface of the lperforated material carried by the vcircuitterminal and bridging the air gap.

4. In a lightning arrester, a grounded a -circuit terminal having an.exposed end Within striking distance of mercury, and an insulating bodyof less area thanthe end ofthe circuit terminal *adjacenty to themercury and interposed between the bare end of the circuit terminalandthe surface of the mercury. Y v

5. AIn a lightning arrester, a grounded body of mercury,

and a circuit termmal haying the end Vadjacent to the mercury in contactwith but insulatedl from the surface of the mercury and. within strikingdistance thereof, the said insulation being of suchl thickness as toengage the surface of the mercury when the terminal is in operativerelation to said mercury but separated therefrom by an air gap. v

In testimony thatvI claim the Iforegolng as my own, I have hereto axedmy signature in the presence oftwo Witnesses.

WILLIAM E. BUTLER. Witnesses:

A. M. WALLING, J. R. EVANS.

